Reciprocating pumps are used extensively throughout the oil and gas industry. These types of pumps are commonly used as mud pumps and fracturing pumps. These pumps are capable of delivering fluids and other various media to the application process at various flow rates and pressures.
Reciprocating pumps come in a variety of sizes and configurations. For example, reciprocating pumps may be configured in triplex, quadruplex, and quintuplex configurations. The power output of the pumps can range from 300 horsepower to in excess of 2500 horsepower. The specific configuration of the pumps is often designed to suit the particular application requirements.
Reciprocating pumps are typically manufactured to order and, as a result, may take several months to manufacture and deliver. Reciprocating pumps are generally constructed with left-hand or right-hand drive mechanisms with the casing being specific to each application. This impacts the type of drive which can be employed in the pump. For example, worm drive pumps have their driveline at 90 degrees to the axial crank orientation and pinion drive pumps and planetary gears installations have their drivelines parallel to the axial crank orientation. Consequently, pumps are generally constructed to a specification, specific for the application, making the construction process severely restricted by configuration requirements.
There is a need for an improved process of manufacturing reciprocating pumps.